Review: The Mummy
You've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. The shot. An airplane flying over the desert. Chased by a wall of sand. In its center, a face whose mouth prepares to swallow its flying victim. Yes, the summer movie season officially begins with the sun and sand saga The Mummy.
Summer movies often need to come with disclaimers: the actual film is hardly ever what its advertisements make it out to be. Commercials feature the money shot -- the bait that will put audiences in theaters. So you're hooked and you pay your money only to find yourself wading through boisterous, empty tripe. Oh, and there's the money shot you plunked your money for and it's the only shot worth paying for. Of course, you've been seeing it for free every day on television. Thankfully, The Mummy proves to be an exception to this unwritten rule. Not only does it deliver the money shot, it is also a solid, rousing and satisfying film. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what a summer movie ought to be.
The film begins in the ancient city of Thebes when pharaohs ruled the land. Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), the high priest and keeper of the dead, commits a most grievous sin: he falls in love with the pharaoh's mistress. They conspire to kill the pharaoh but when they do, the pharaoh's bodyguards break down the door. Imhotep's love bids him to flee for he has the power to resurrect her then kills herself before the bodyguards can capture her. Imhotep and his priests steal her body away to Hamunaptra to perform the resurrection ritual. Before the ritual is completed, however, Imhotep and his priests are captured by the bodyguards. The priests are sentenced to be mummified alive while Imhotep is given the worst punishment of all: not only is he mummified alive but a blanket of flesh-eating creatures is thrown on him and his sarcophagus is sealed, supposedly for all eternity. If he is freed and resurrected, he will bring with him a plague to end all mankind. Yummy.
Fast forward to Hamunaptra three thousand years later. The Egyptians and the French war over the land. Hamunaptra is believed to contain a cavern of treasure hidden underground. Many men have believed in the myth and died in their quest to find the buried treasure. One such man is French Foreign Legionnaire Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser), whose men fight a losing battle. O'Connell himself is captured and saved from hanging, three years later, when a librarian named Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) rescues him. In exchange, he will guide Evelyn and her endearing and buffoonish brother Jonathan (John Hannah) to Hamunaptra and the treasure.
O'Connell and the siblings are not alone in their hunt. A group of Americans are also headed their way. After an attack on their boat, the treasure seekers make their way to Hamunaptra. Of course, someone makes the mistake of unleashing Imhotep, who becomes more and more powerful with each victim. Fully regenerated, he will have the strength of ages, power over the sands and the glory of invincibility. In Evelyn, Imhotep finds the perfect human sacrifice to finally resurrect his love. "If I'm turned into a mummy," she warns O'Connell, "you're the first one I'm coming after."
Weisz is a delight as is Hannah, who provides ample comic relief. If Fraser does not become a superstar with this film, then something is wrong with the planets. He is marvelous and finally has a role that truly showcases him. Fraser has always been a bit of a throwback. Comparisons to Cary Grant are not wholly exaggerated -- Fraser possesses the same blithe spirit and a mischievous innocence. As Rick O'Connell, he evokes the great Douglas Fairbanks, who combined cosmopolitan charm and roguish derring-do with such winning elan. Fraser glides through the film with nary a worry. One of the funniest scenes has O'Connell letting out a shout of shock upon seeing the mummy for the first time. Imhotep, still a pulpy and ravaged skeleton, lets out a huge roar. O'Connell roars back.
Director Stephen Sommers keeps the film at a steady, nearly breathless pace. He manages to deftly juggle multiple situations as well as sustain the comedy, thrills and romance. The special effects are well-executed. Nifty shots abound. The flesheaters never fail to elicit gasps of recoiled disgust. My favorite shot had a flesheater crawling from one decayed hole in Imhotep's cheek to another only to be crunched down upon.
A damsel in distress. A dashing hero. A villain to be vanquished. The desert. Flesh eating insects. Thrills. Chills. Laughs. Romance. Everything you could ask for. Simply put, go see The Mummy.
The Mummy
Directed by: Stephen Sommers
Written by: Stephen Sommers
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Kevin J. O'Connor, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velazquez, Bernard Fox, Jonathan Hyde
